Just checked the accompanying book and, as John Fowler said in his review of the box on Amazon, "The remastering credits for this box are quite complicated". He couldn't be more right. The credits suggest that most tracks were remastered, but I can't say if they remastered the complete set. The sound is excellent, though.

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When I ripped these to JRiver, some of the auto-tagging says "remastered", so do not.

Just checked the accompanying book and, as John Fowler said in his review of the box on Amazon, "The remastering credits for this box are quite complicated". He couldn't be more right. The credits suggest that most tracks were remastered, but I can't say if they remastered the complete set. The sound is excellent, though.

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@J.A.W. So you are ready to pull the trigger on this big, definitive Bruno Walter big box?

@J.A.W. So you are ready to pull the trigger on this big, definitive Bruno Walter big box?

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Oh yes, sure, the more so since I don't have that much Walter. I'm just hoping for a lower price, the current 300 euros price tag at JPC Germany is a bit steep, but I probably can't wait too long as other pretty recent big Sony boxes (Szell, Rudolf Serkin, to name but two) are already OOP. I get the feeling that these big boxes are getting more expensive, especially the ones Sony put out.

Oh yes, sure, the more so since I don't have that much Walter. I'm just hoping for a lower price, the current 300 euros price tag at JPC Germany is a bit steep, but I probably can't wait too long as other pretty recent big Sony boxes (Szell, Rudolf Serkin, to name but two) are already OOP. I get the feeling that these big boxes are getting more expensive, especially the ones Sony put out.

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I have the Walter Mozart and Beethoven boxes and his early recordings in an EMI box ...

I know, I was rather critical of Backhaus' post-war stereo Beethoven cycle at first, but his performances grew on me and the above set with his pre-war Beethoven is a must for everyone who appreciates his playing. A historical document, just like the two Wilhelm Kempff sets APR released a while ago.

The Szell recordings might have been remastered for that recent Sony big box. Does anybody know?

"...energy and wit and elegance..." brings to mind a couple of other sets:

Nonesuch produced a complete box set of the twelve "London Symphonies" performed by Leslie Jones and the Little Orchestra of London that puts emphasis on wit, energy, and elegance--in that order! Jones understands the fun side of these works; in fact I might describe his interpretations as rollicking and, at times, raucous with brass, winds, and timpani right in your face. Sometimes, I'm in the mood for that--the "change of pace," as mentioned earlier. I think even Haydn would get a kick out these.

The recordings are a bit dry and forward and Nonesuch's pressings don't help much, either, but my ear quickly adapts and I'm okay with it. There is a small online outfit called "Haydn House" that offers needle drops of these records on CD, supposedly tweaking the sonics for a better presentation, but I've never done a comparison.

Another LP edition I play on occasion are those by Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic, which managed to belt out some movements with loads of energy... big time! Columbia's sonics are all over the map, but serviceable. With Bernstein and forces, however, one must give them considerable latitude. Unlike Szell, who could drive the Cleveland Orchestra at a breathless pace with absolute accuracy, Bernstein was more about just getting there and less about how he got there. Thus, the NYP can sound a little ragged at times, but the sheer vitality and zeal these guys project makes me smile.

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I got that Nonesuch box recently for a dollar or so & enjoyed the LPs I played before I got diverted onto exploring my Naxos CDs.

Disc 1
Glinka - Overture Ruslan and Ludmila*
Borodin: Price Igor*
Overture and Polovtsian Dances
Tchaikovsky
Eugene Onegin -Polonaise
Capriccio italian
1812 Overture
* Philharmonia orchestra
** Orchestre de la Sociétiés des Concerts du Conservatoire
[] Bournemouth S.O. Band of Her Majesties Marines
A program of Russian favourites performed well with the Philharmonia at its late 50's peak that also shows how well he had molded the Bournemouth forces to the point they could equal that of the London orchestras.

Disc 1
Glinka - Overture Ruslan and Ludmila*
Borodin: Price Igor*
Overture and Polovtsian Dances
Tchaikovsky
Eugene Onegin -Polonaise
Capriccio italian
1812 Overture
* Philharmonia orchestra
** Orchestre de la Sociétiés des Concerts du Conservatoire
[] Bournemouth S.O. Band of Her Majesties Marines
A program of Russian favourites performed well with the Philharmonia at its late 50's peak that also shows how well he had molded the Bournemouth forces to the point they could equal that of the London orchestras.

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Her Majesty's Marines - is that a brass band? How does that sound in combination with a symphony orchestra?

As kind of intimated in Wugged's response, it is the full band, -woodwind, brass, drums etc - of the Royal Navy who have made a number of recordings over the years comprised of members of the Royal Military School of Music connected to the navy.
Link: RM School of Music | Royal Navy